Character actor Leonard Stone, perhaps best known for his role as Violet’s father Mr. Beauregarde in the 1971 classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has passed away.

According to People, Stone – who had earned a Tony for his work in the musical Redhead and appeared on numerous television shows such as L.A. Law, Perry Mason, General Hospital, Mission: Impossible, Barney Miller, Gunsmoke, Hill Street Blues and as a winning contestant on Wheel of Fortune – died from cancer on Wednesday, Nov. 2, just two days before what would have marked his 88th birthday.